Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell

NEWARK, Del. -- The University of Delaware women’s basketball team has attracted a significant increase in attendance this season as the Blue Hens hold a 4-1 mark in the Bob Carpenter Center prior to Thursday’s match-up against UNC Wilmington.

Delaware is averaging 2,647 fans per game, an increase of 138 percent from 2008-09 when the Hens brought in an average crowd of 1,110 per contest. This stark contrast ranks Delaware sixth in the nation for largest percentage increase in attendance at NCAA Division I women’s basketball home games. The University of Dayton has brought in the most drastic increase in fans, as the Flyers have jumped from an average of 815 a year ago to 5,305 this season for a boost of over 550 percent.

University of San Francisco, Central Michigan University, Sam Houston State University and Mercer University also rank above Delaware who has gathered 13,236 fans over five home games throughout the 2009-10 campaign. The Hens’ total numbers are second in the Colonial Athletic Association only to Old Dominion University who has seated 19,385 over six games played at the Ted Constant Convocation Center.

The Hens are just 88 fans shy of supassing last season’s total attendance of 13,324.

Delaware’s season record, which doubles as the Bob Carpenter record, is 22,498 from the 1996-97 season. The 1996-97 season, head coach Tina Martin’s first at UD, brought in an average crowd of 1,730 per game.

Four of the 15 Blue Hens on the roster are Delaware natives, helping the University to sell over 650 season tickets this year.

UD next returns to action on Thursday, Jan. 14 when it hosts CAA opponents UNC Wilmington at 7 p.m.